Mirai No Terror
by Genesis Nightshade
Summary: The story of Mirai Trunks after he defeats the Andriods and Cell...Just when he thought it was all over...Not your usual Mirai story. *Chapter 4 up- Warriors of the Future Past*
1. A New Future Reminiscent of the Past

MIRAI NO TERROR  
By Genesis Nightshade  
  
Chapter One  
A New Future Reminiscent Of The Past  
  
  
It's all over.  
  
The thought raced through his head as he whizzed through the air back to the Capsule Corporation. There would be no more running, no more wondering when he would have to fight next or how many hundreds of people were suffering at any given moment. Juuana-gou and Juuhachi-gou were dead. Cell was dead. It was finally over.  
  
But as he looked down at the cities being rebuilt and hundreds of people starting their lives over again, he realized that he shouldn't think of it as the end of a terror. It was the beginning of a new way of life that he had never known. There would be no more fighting. It was just the way that Gohan wanted it.   
  
The youth landed on the lawn of the Capsule Corporation and caught sight of his mother in the front window. His lavender hair blew in the light wind and he fought back tears. Yes, the terror was over, but no one could restore what he had lost.   
  
"Gohan…Tousan…"  
  
He stood there for a few minutes, memories streaming through his brain. He tried to get a hold on his emotions. What would his father think if he saw him crying? It was disgraceful. He was a disgrace for even letting things get as out of hand as they had gotten. But it wasn't his fault. He had to keep telling himself that it wasn't his fault.  
  
"Trunks!"  
  
The youth quickly wiped his eyes with his palms as his mother came out of the house. It was still a little weird to see her this way, since he had become accustomed to her younger self when he was in the past. But she was the mother that had raised him when his father had been killed by those awful machines. Wrinkles were scattered over her aged face and blue hair with snatches of gray joined his by dancing in the breeze.  
  
"It's over, Kaasan." Trunks said. "It's finally over."  
  
Bulma ran over and embraced her son. He was no longer her little boy. He had helped to save two worlds, hers and the one of the past. She had also done her part. Without her time machine, her world would still be under the tyranny of the androids. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she remembered the agony of the past years. Feeling the warm liquid on her face, she pulled away from her son.  
  
"Why are you crying?" Trunks asked, even though he already knew the answer.  
  
"I'm…I'm just so happy…" She let the tears run down her cheeks and let out a laugh.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
With both the androids and the evil Cell dead, there was nothing left to do but rebuild. Bulma spent hours at her computer, giving no explanation and showing no results. Trunks helped clear away some of the larger rubble on the streets, and couldn't help but laugh when other 'fighters' showed up to do the same. Even Mr. Satan, who was not quite as loud and overconfident in this world, offered his services, no matter how little they were needed.  
  
Trunks couldn't help but notice the subtle differences between his world and the one of the past. Where the cold hand of the androids had softened Mr. Satan, they had made his mother less adventurous and others more fearful.  
  
News reports continued over the radio and television, honoring Trunks for saving the world. Of course, he accepted none of their gifts. He turned down cars, houses, money, women, and everything else they offered him. There was only one thing that he wanted, and no one could give that to him.  
  
But something in him said that there had to be a way to bring Vegeta and everyone else back from the dead. It had been done so many other times, why not now?  
  
"I've been thinking the exact same thing." Bulma said when Trunks confronted her about the issue. "We have no dragon balls here on earth, but there are still dragon balls on the new planet Namek, aren't there?"  
  
"Yeah, I forgot about that." Trunks said with renewed hope. He had heard all about Son Goku and his heroic efforts on the planet Namek and how the Nameks had found a new planet after their old one was destroyed. They were the ones who had originally created the dragon balls; they should have created new ones by now. "So what are you planning, Kaasan?"  
  
"Let's see…I've built a time machine so a spaceship should be no problem. If I can just find all of the parts that I need, and get a few extra hands around here, then it should be a piece of cake to get to new Namek."  
  
"And what do I have to do?" Trunks asked.  
  
"Here's a list." Bulma said, handing him a piece of paper. "And see if you can find some people to help out that won't be missed in rebuilding."  
  
Trunks nodded and flew out of the lab, leaving Bulma at her computer, running calculations.  
  
Yes, things were all happening according to plan. The Namek dragon balls could always restore someone who died an unnatural death. That was everyone…except Goku. Bulma was suddenly reminded of how much she missed her friends, especially…  
  
"Vegeta…"  
  
Bulma collapsed onto the keyboard, causing a stream on nonsense syllables to appear on the screen. No matter how much she tried to hide it from Trunks, she still missed Vegeta. After Yamcha, Bulma thought that she would never love again, but when the spiky haired prince had come to live with them, things had changed. She had opened herself to love again, even if it was only returned by shouts and insults. And after his death, she had vowed to never love another. That was no problem, because she had never stopped loving Vegeta. She would give anything to see him again, even for just a minute. She didn't even have any pictures.  
  
It began to thunder outside and the lab grew darker, as if Mother Nature were sympathizing with her sorrow and joining in. Hopefully Trunks didn't get caught in the storm.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Everyone! Hurry up and get inside! This one looks like it's going to be a big one!"  
  
With his hands over his head to shield his lavender hair from the rain's onslaught, Trunks followed the other workers to the shelter. His search for workers had come up dry and he hadn't even glanced at his mother's list yet. No doubt it was a list of tools and parts that had been looted from the lab during an android attack. Trunks helped the coordinators round up all of the nearby workers. It was pitch black out and lightning pierced through the clouds, making him shudder. He hated rain almost as much as he had hated the androids. The last time that the city had seen such a pour was when Gohan was murdered.  
  
"Is everyone inside? Make sure to get everyone that you see." A woman said as she ushered the last of the workers into the shelter.  
  
Trunks sat down on a nearby crate of supplies and buried his head in his hands. There was so much he had to forget.  
  
"Hey! Aren't you the one who killed the androids?"  
  
Trunks looked up and saw a raven-haired girl, who was wearing a pair of overalls over a pink t-shirt. Her long black hair was in two low ponytails that were almost as long as her arms.  
  
"Yes." Trunks said, as he gained his composure.  
  
"Hi! My name's Videl." She extended her arm to Trunks, who shook it. "I saw it all on the news. My dad says that you should enter the martial arts tournament, since they're starting it up again. He says you could win."  
  
"Who's your father?"  
  
"Mr. Satan, the martial arts champion of the world. At least he used to be. Now I think he's going to give it up since he saw you fight."  
  
Trunks blinked twice as Videl continued talking. He didn't remember Mr. Satan having a daughter in the world of the past. Could this be one of the things that the presence of the androids and Cell had changed?  
  
"How old are you?" Trunks asked.  
  
"I think that's none of your business." She said. Trunks guessed her to be about 28 or 29, a lot older than he was. "So, do you think that you'll enter, once all of this mess is cleared up?"  
  
"I don't want to fight anybody." Trunks said, proud of himself for ignoring his saiyan urges. "Your father can keep his title."  
  
"Oh, that's a shame." Videl said. "But actually, that's not why I came over to talk to you."  
  
"Then what do you want?"  
  
"Could you teach me how to fly and fight like you?"  
  
Startled, Trunks slipped off of the crate that he was sitting on and landed on the concrete floor. Videl suppressed a giggle.  
  
"But why? There's no reason for anyone to want to fight like that."  
  
"I don't know…it just seems like it would be fun. So what do you say? I'll pay you."  
  
Trunks crossed his legs into an 'Indian-style' position and cocked his head to one side.  
  
"Do you know anything about machinery? Because I'll teach you if you can help Kaasan and me at the Capsule Corporation."  
  
"No problem." Videl said, and extended her arm to help Trunks to his feet. "But you had better be as good as your word."  
  
"Yeah, sure."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Videl came to the Capsule Corporation everyday to help out, along with a few other people that Trunks had persuaded to leave the rebuilding project. They were given free room and board as long as they worked diligently and didn't ask any questions. There was no telling what they would do if they knew that they were building a spaceship designed for the sole purpose of traveling to a planet of green spacemen in order to wish an alien back to life.   
  
Trunks and Bulma busied themselves with meaningless tasks most of the time, so that they wouldn't break down and cry. This might not have been such a good idea, since the very thought of Vegeta, Gohan, Goku, Yamcha, Kullilin, Tien and Piccolo touched a soft spot in both of their hearts.  
  
Videl proved to be an excellent worker and was completely dedicated to her training with Trunks. She was taught the basics first- katas, punches, kicks and control. Although she seemed to be progressing slowly, she showed no sign of frustration or impatience. Before she even thought about flying, she had to have enough life energy. There was no telling how long that would take. After all, Mr. Satan was her father, no matter how different they seemed. Videl would speak her mind and tell you what she thought about you. In the encounters that Trunks had had with Mr. Satan, he had been very passive. The androids must have given him an awful scare for him to change so much.  
  
Two weeks passed, and the spaceship was nearly complete. Bulma, Trunks and Videl, all donning lab coats, were doing the last calculations on the fuel intake when a news bulletin flashed on the television.  
  
"This just in! A green alien was seen wandering the streets of New South City. All residents are advised to steer clear of him, since he has already destroyed many downtown buildings. " The reporter looked terrified as he dodged the debris that was flying everywhere. "Police force will be deployed soon, but please take alternate routes and stay out of the downtown area."  
  
Trunks gasped as he saw the picture on the television and Bulma dropped her hand-held computer. It clattered in pieces onto the floor, losing weeks of vital figures and calculation. Right there on the screen was a Namek, as naked as the day. With a confused, yet angered look on his face, he trudged down the street and shot ki blasts at all who tried to shoot or fight him.  
  
"Its…its Piccolo!" Trunks said, surprised by his words. "But…how? He died years ago…"  
  
"No, it's not Piccolo." Bulma said, her eyes wide in disbelief. "It's Piccolo's son."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Gardeners Aren't The Only Ones With Gree...

MIRAI NO TERROR  
  
By Genesis Nightshade  
  
Chapter Two  
Gardeners Aren't The Only Ones With Green Thumbs…  
  
  
A/N: In response to a review, yes Nameks can reproduce…you must have been thrown off by the whole asexual thing. How else would Piccolo have been born and how did the eldest Namek Guru repopulate the planet after they died out? Ok, I'm done with my ranting. Enjoy this chapter, and don't worry, the serious action comes in chapter three…  
  
  
The lab was completely silent as the screaming voices of the television filled the room.  
  
"But… that's impossible…how can Piccolo have a son?" Trunks asked, still completely shocked.  
  
"You see," Bulma explained as she regained her sanity and her rational side took over, "the same thing happened with Piccolo Damaio, if you remember the story."  
  
"Yes, he was Piccolo's father."  
  
"Piccolo Damaio produced Piccolo's egg right before he died to carry on his mission of killing Goku. Apparently, Piccolo did the same thing that Piccolo Damaio did. This new Piccolo is in search of the Androids, and he'll keep looking until he finds them."  
  
They both stood in silence, knowing what had to be done. Trunks would be the one to go after him, either to reason with him or kill him. It was a task that neither of them hoped would be necessary. With the new Piccolo alive, Trunks might have an easier time on New Namek and there was still hope of regenerating the old Piccolo. If he could show them where the Old Piccolo's body was, then they could most likely reanimate him. Unfortunately, that technique could only work on Nameks.  
  
"Trunks, hurry up before he causes any more damage. And try not to kill him; we can use him here." Bulma said, breaking the silence.  
  
"What's going on?" Videl asked, confused.  
  
"Videl, sit down for a moment… we need to talk."  
  
Trunks quickly complied with his mother's wishes, throwing his lab coat to the ground and picking up his sword from where he had leaned it against the kitchen table.  
  
"I'll be back as soon as I can."  
  
Trunks then took off through an open window in a blaze of golden aura.  
  
This was insanity. He had told himself that he would never have to fight again. He had established a sense of peace, and now this was happening…Trunks was almost in a murderous rage by the time he reached downtown. The rebuilding projects had been completely destroyed, and many of the ones who had been assigned work-detail that day were sprawled on the ground. Trunks could only sense the energies of a few of them, and even those were very weak. He was just like Cell. He was just like the androids. In the quest to end terror on Earth after his death, Piccolo had just assured the deaths of hundreds more people. Trunks could barely keep himself from screaming out in emphatic agony.  
  
"It…it was over…" he said, quietly as he hovered over the traumatic scene below. He had to stop the Namek, no matter how important he may have been to his mother. So what if he could be the key to regenerating Piccolo? He was just like Cell.   
  
Trunks looked down and saw the Namek just in time to witness him murder an old man with a rifle. The Namek shot a ki blast through the old man's chest, and he flew backwards, blood gushing from the wound in his chest, his eyes glazed over with death.  
  
"Hey you! Namek!" Trunks yelled, on the verge of killing the Namek with his sword in one fatal swipe.  
  
The Namek seemed to pause in his destruction, but did not speak. Trunks took this as a sign that he could move forward and began to descend.  
  
"No! No more killing! Don't you realize what you're doing?" Trunks moved a bit closer to the Namek. "Killing innocent people is no way to find the androids!"  
  
"How…how did you know I was looking for the androids? You...you must be one of them! DIE!"  
  
The Namek began to attack Trunks, using a rapid fire of ki blasts. Trunks powered up, flew into the air and easily dodged them, quickly moving to the right or left before they could get close enough to hit.  
  
"If I'm an android, then how come you can feel my life energy?!" Trunks yelled, and after a moment, the fire stopped. After a few moments, the smoke cleared, and the Namek stood below, his hands poised for a ki blast.  
  
"Who are you?" he asked.  
  
"My name is Trunks. I am a saiyan, well, half saiyan. Search your memory…it's there." Trunks silently hoped that the Namek had inherited Piccolo's memories.  
  
The Namek stood in eerie silence for a moment, the expression on his face not moving.  
  
"Another alien." He finally said, slowly bringing his hands down to his sides.  
  
"Yes. No more killing. I am not an android."  
  
"Then what do you want?" He asked, with a tinge of anger present in his voice.  
  
"I have someone that you need to meet."  
  
The Namek debated in his mind for a minute.  
  
"Fine."  
  
"Ok, but could you please put some clothes on first?"  
  
The Namek looked down at his naked body and then back at Trunks.  
  
"Why?  
  
"Just…please…"  
  
The Namek looked at himself again, sighed and then placed his opened palm over his head. Instantly, he was engulfed in a puff of smoke. When it cleared, he was wearing a black gi with a yellow belt wrapped around his waist. A black headband was securely tied around his head, covering up his antennae. Apparently, he had inherited some of Piccolo's abilities.   
  
"Do you have a name?" Trunks asked, admiring the Namek's new clothes.  
  
"Snare." He replied without hesitation. Both his face and his voice were expressionless. Yes, he had been confused a few minutes ago, but amazingly, Snare seemed completely sane now. Trunks thought about this and tried to convince himself that Snare was not a killer. He was not like Cell. He had not been intentionally killing people…but wait…even if it was unintentional, PEOPLE DIED. They would never see their families again. Some little boy would grow up without a father…Yes. He was like Cell.  
  
'After Bulma is done with him, he must die.' Trunks thought to himself.  
  
"Come on, Snare." There is someone that you need to meet."  
  
Trunks rose into the air, and Snare easily followed. They both sped in the direction of Capsule Corp.   
  
'Yes. He must die.'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
In the center of a swirl of yellow cloud, a small planet seemed to dangle from the strings of the air. The weather was calm as always, and the sun shone its gleeful rays onto the surface.  
  
But things were not as peaceful as they seemed, for on the surface of this planet, nine solemn warriors were once again full of worry and fear. Even in death, they could not escape the worries of their planet.  
  
"But Piccolo, how could this have happened?"  
  
The Namek clenched his fists until they shook and sweat seemed to seep from the pores.  
  
"It's blurry, but I remember it…Juuana-gou bashed his arm right through my chest… I had to do  
something…something…DAMN IT! I didn't know it would be like this! There wasn't enough time to make sure that he'd be stable, I just did it as fast as I could!"  
  
"It's not your fault, Piccolo." Goku replied, placing a reassuring hand on the Namek's shoulder. "You didn't know that he would turn out this way."   
  
"Like hell it isn't his fault." A voice stated in a snobbish tone. "No species was meant to reproduce that fast. Not even the saiyans. How could you think that your offspring would be perfect? You are completely delusional." The cocky prince crossed his arms across his chest and walked away from the area where the group had congregated. A smirk crawled onto his face.  
  
"Don't be insensitive, Vegeta." Kullilin said. "Not everyone is a saiyan, you know." Tien, Yamcha and Chaozu nodded in agreement.  
  
"Ha! You're just mad that you're not one, weakling."  
  
"The way I remember it, you're dead too."  
  
Vegeta growled.  
  
"Don't provoke him!" King Kai said. "You remember what happened last time, don't you?"  
  
They all cringed as they tried to repress the memory of the 'Princess Snake' incident. Half of snake way was in ashes.  
  
"I don't care anymore! I'm already dead, what else do I have to lose?" Kullilin said, as he took a fighting stance.  
  
"Hey! That's got nothing to do with what's going on!" Gohan intervened. "Even if it's not Piccolo's fault, Snare is completely unstable. You guys have seen what kind of power he has! What if he becomes like the androids and that Cell creature that Trunks killed? Even if it was an accident, it could mean the deaths of hundred of people."  
  
"I'm not getting a good feeling from his aura, either." King Kai said  
  
Gohan bowed his head with worry. Yes, Trunks was able to defeat the androids and Cell, but that had been easy. They were pure evil. Snare had some goodness in him somewhere and Gohan was sure that Trunks was aware of the fact, but how many human lives would be sacrificed to find it?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"I…I can't believe this…" Videl said as she collapsed into a chair. "You…you mean you know that…that THING?"  
  
Bulma nodded.  
  
"He's a member of an alien race known as the Nameks. They are normally peaceful by nature, but this one seems to be the exception. I just hope that Trunks is ok. After the androids, something like this is likely to push him over the edge."  
  
"And he's bringing him back here?"  
  
"Yes." Bulma said. "He's going to try to."  
  
In response, Videl's eyes opened wide.  
  
"Oh, don't worry." Bulma said, reassuringly. "Trunks is the strongest person on the planet right now, and you're forgetting one thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Even though I'm a little old, I'm still a genius. You don't think that I would let Trunks bring the Namek here without some kind of protection, do you? During the time that the androids were alive, Trunks went on a trip. In order to protect myself, I did a little constructing of my own. I've got three androids equipped with every kind of weapon you could think of. It will be enough to hold off anything stronger than Trunks for at least a few minutes."  
  
Videl nodded, but for some strange reason, she wasn't reassured. Just minutes ago, she had seen that green creature…that Namek…destroy buildings and murder innocent people. Now Trunks was bringing it to Capsule Corp. It would be not miles from her, but mere feet, ready to bash a beam of energy through her head or snap her body in two, savoring the excruciating pain that she would be in. Videl sighed. This was all too much to handle atone time. There was no way that Videl was going to get her day's work done now.  
  
"Excuse me, Ms. Briefs?"  
  
Bulma turned in her chair slowly, and faced the worker, a tall boy who was about 20 or so.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we've finished the work on the refrigeration system. Do you want us to start on the coolants for the engine?"  
  
Bulma was silent for a moment as she picked up her cup of coffee that she had been subconsciously sipping on for about a half an hour.  
  
"Do you know what? If you all leave right now, you can take the day off. See a movie, go out to lunch and put it all on the CC account, ok? Everyone gets the day off."  
  
"Ar…Arigatou!" he said, and joyfully went off to spread the news to his co-workers.  
  
Videl was shocked. Bulma never let ANYONE have the day off. She had been a work-a-holic ever since Videl came, and was always intensely concentrated on her work. She had been completely devoted to this space ship thing. What was so important about it? Sure, Bulma had explained to them that the ship was going to transport the first CC satellite, but what was so important about that?  
  
"Videl?" Bulma said quietly after she was sure that most of the workers had left.  
  
"Hai, Bulma-san?"  
  
"I want to know if you'd like to help me with some experiments on the Namek after Trunks gets back. I'll understand if this is all too much for you and you'd like to go home…"  
  
"Iie," Videl said. "I'm fine."  
  
"Good, because I think I just heard Trunks land outside."  
  
"Kaasan! I'm back!" Trunks yelled from the doorway as he entered with his new companion.  
  
Both Bulma and Videl stood up when Snare entered- Videl with awe-struck eyes and Bulma with scientific ones, quickly comparing Snare's features to what she remembered of Piccolo. Of course their features seemed similar, but Snare was significantly leaner. Even if he had inherited Piccolo's power and most of his memory, the muscle couldn't be passed down genetically.  
  
"Hi." Bulma said. "My name is Ms. Briefs."  
  
"Snare."  
  
"You don't have anything to fear here. The androids are gone now."  
  
"Trunks explained that to me."  
  
Snare glanced at Videl, who flinched at his look.  
  
"That's Videl." Bulma explained. "She'll be helping me with the experiments that I'll be doing on you. Don't worry, it won't take long and won't hurt a bit."  
  
He looked back at Videl, who flinched again.  
  
"Does she talk?"  
  
"Of course I do!" Videl yelled, but didn't come any closer to Snare. She hid behind Bulma. "I just don't feel like talking right now, that's all!"  
  
Trunks snickered but kept it to himself. It really wasn't a time for him to be laughing. He had to be completely on guard, just in case Snare flipped his lid. Besides, Videl wasn't THAT cute when she pretended not to be scared…  
  
"Ok, we should get started right away." Bulma said. "Videl, could you get the rejuvenation tank ready to go?"  
  
"Rejuvenation tank?" Trunks asked, confused.  
  
"Yes. I heard your father mention it a few times when he was alive, so I built one myself and used it on him after some of his intense training sessions. If I fill it with water, then it will provide just the medium I need for tests."  
  
Snare swallowed hard.  
  
'He's just as scared as Videl is…' Trunks thought to himself. 'No, wait…it's all just an act…'  
  
Trunks watched as Videl slinked past Snare with a sweat drop on her face.  
  
"C'mon, Snare." Bulma said, grabbing his hand and leading him towards the lab. "We've got a lot of work to do."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Over the next week, Snare was subjected to test after test. Those testing bodily functions were the hardest, since he spent most of the day in the tank with Bulma and Videl poking and prodding at him. The ones that were easier were those that compared him to Piccolo, since those dealt with strength and fighting. But no, he didn't spar with Trunks; Bulma wouldn't let him; for fear that the two might kill each other. So Snare would sit and watch Trunks train Videl, and he would pick up a few moves everyday to store in his memory and try later when everyone was sleeping. Snare didn't sleep. He saw no need for it. Anything could happen at night, and besides, the best training came with the night air rushing at you head-on. You breathed it in with every attack.  
  
But something bothered Snare. It was Trunks. Every few nights while Snare was training, he would glance down in to the bushes and catch sight of Trunks, spying on him. He most likely thought that his energy couldn't be sensed.  
  
'I see you, you bastard.'  
  
There was something about Trunks that Snare just didn't trust.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Ok, Snare. We're all done for today." Bulma said to Snare as she drained the water from the tank. Snare quickly began to dress himself in his black gi.   
  
"Where is Trunks?" Snare asked as he tied his headband around his head.  
  
"I think he's training Videl out back. Why?"  
  
Bulma didn't actually expect an answer from him; she had grown accustomed to his mysterious nature. He only talked when he had something to say, and answered when he felt like it. This time, he didn't so much as nod, only exited the lab with his water bottle in hand and went to the backyard to catch Videl and Trunks before they finished their afternoon training.   
  
There they were, Videl struggling to use her ki to lift herself off of the ground. Trunks was looking on, every once in a while giving a word of encouragement or demonstrating how to use ones body energy to lift the body off of the ground.  
  
'She's doing it all wrong…' Snare thought to himself as he looked on in disgust. 'Why isn't he showing her how to do it right?'  
  
Snare took a swig from his water bottle, and Trunks's head turned to face him. His hearing was almost as good as Snare's- he had heard the muffled sound of water sloshing from over 20 feet away.  
  
"Are you going to join us?" Trunks asked, and Snare couldn't quite read the expression on his face. Snare didn't answer, only took another gulp of water and wiped away the excess from his mouth. "I guess not." Trunks finally said, and went back to his training.  
  
Videl was making significant progress. She had already learned most of the basic hand-to-hand techniques, and was in the early stages of flying- using her ki like a cushion to push her into the air.  
  
But Trunks's mind was somewhere else. He couldn't seem to concentrate whenever Snare was around, because it always seemed like he was scrutinizing everything that Trunks did, silently telling him everything that he was doing wrong.  
  
'Baka, why won't you go away?'  
  
"Trunks, how was that?" Videl asked as she landed gracefully.  
  
"Um…Gomen, Videl. I wasn't watching. Maybe I'm just tired. Can we call it a day?"  
  
"Hai." Videl said. "Go and get some sleep."  
  
Trunks nodded and walked into the house, making sure to cast an evil glance at Snare before he entered. Snare readied himself to follow Trunks into the house…this had gone far enough…  
  
"Snare! Can I talk to you?"  
  
The Namek's head snapped around at Videl's voice.  
  
"What do you want?" he asked, flatly.  
  
Videl jogged up to him, her ponytails bouncing on her shoulders. She was flushed pink from exercise.  
  
"I…I just wanted to apologize. For the other day, I mean. I was kind of rude. You're not THAT scary."  
  
"Whatever." Snare replied, looking away. Videl took his response as the end of the conversation and began to walk past him, into the house.  
  
"You're doing it wrong." Snare said out of nowhere, and Videl turned around slowly. "You use up too much energy if you fly that way."  
  
Videl smiled a bit.  
  
"If I come out here tonight, will you teach me the right way?"  
  
Snare paused before giving an answer, but the expression on his face showed neither anger nor surprise nor excitement.   
  
"If you come." He finally said.  
  
Videl's smile became a full grin.  
  
"I'll see you tonight." She said, walking into the house without taking her eyes off of Snare. She ran right into Trunks, and because he was virtually the immovable wall, she bounced off of him and landed with a 'thud' on the floor.  
  
"Gomen, Trunks. I wasn't paying attention."   
  
She stood up, dusted herself off and brushed past trunks, humming quietly.  
  
Trunks went to the window and looked at Snare, who was flying away. He was now but a speck in the blue sky.  
  
'I don't care what my mother needs him for…Snare dies tomorrow.'  
  
  
  
NEXT CHAPTER:…enter the villain….the terror of Mirai No Terror…but what or who is it?  



	3. The Conflict Begins/A Clash of Colors

MIRAI NO TERROR  
  
By Genesis Nightshade  
  
  
Chapter Three  
The Conflict Begins/ A Clash of Colors  
  
A/N: Thanks for all of the positive feedback! I'm glad that you all like my story! This chapter has a treat…. the action finally decides to kick in… oh, and I use a lot of fanfic Japanese in this chapter, but it shouldn't interfere with the plot…PLEASE REVIEW!   
  
  
In the void of darkness, a silent figure slinked from its life of containment. It had been years, and he never knew what true life was like until this very moment. He gasped in large quantities of air and tested for use of his limbs. Yes, everything was perfect. No, he wasn't perfect…he was superior.  
  
He stood up on his legs for the first time and found that the muscles were strong and had gained his approval. He blinked twice and stretched out his mental feelers for his target. If things were going as planned, then the Earth should have been mostly in ruins… He searched the power levels of the planet for some time, and yelled out in frustration when he couldn't find what he was looking for. The sound was so loud that is it shook the entire cavern where he was contained.  
  
'No!' he thought to himself. 'Gone!'  
  
For a moment, he panicked and felt his heart beat quickly in his chest. Such a foreign feeling. He clasped his hand over it and felt as it calmed. No, all hope was not lost. Thinking quickly, he activated the homing devices.   
  
Yes, they were not exactly living, but what he needed was still intact. Easily found.  
  
He would be superior.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Trunks slinked down the corridor, making sure to be as quiet s he could so that the CC employees wouldn't wake up. He passed his mother, who had fallen asleep at the computer again. It was late, past two in the morning, actually. Trunks had gone to check on Videl, and she wasn't in her bed.  
  
'I'll bet she's with that…that Namek.' Trunks thought angrily as he walked towards the back door. He grabbed his purple CC jacket and put it on, followed closely by his sword. He quietly took off to where he felt Snare's energy signal. Of course it wasn't his usual training spot, since he probably had Videl with him. But how, all of a sudden did Videl feel comfortable around Snare? And why? Why had she all of a sudden decided to train with him?   
  
He was getting close to Snare's energy signal, so Trunks landed and proceeded on foot. There was a clearing ahead where Snare and Videl were sparing.   
  
In the air.  
  
Videl was flying with ease, and she was doing it without a ki signature. Trunks had been working with her for weeks, and Snare had taught her to fly in a couple of hours.  
  
"Trunks-kun!"   
  
Trunks tripped when he heard Videl's almost-too-cheerful voice. BUSTED.  
  
'Freaking spy…' Snare thought to himself as he watched his pupil descend and rush over to Trunks.  
  
"Did you see what I did?! Snare taught me and it only took a few minutes!"  
  
Videl demonstrated by hovering in the air and circling Trunks.  
  
"Hai. I see." He said, even though he wasn't looking at Videl. He and Snare were looking at each other, locked in a gaze.  
  
"Trunks-kun? What's wrong?"  
  
"How could you be out here with…HIM? Aren't you worried that he might snap and turn on you?"  
  
"Oh, come on Trunks! He didn't know what he was doing back then! Hasn't he earned your trust yet?"  
  
"But what if he tries to kill you?" Trunks said, with desperation. He grabbed Videl's shoulders and gently pushed her down to earth. "A dirty Namek like him would do something just like that…put on an act just to get what he wants…"  
  
"Ok! I'm tired of this! Come on, you baka!" Snare yelled out, from where he was floating far above. "I'm tired of you, Trunks! If you don't trust me that much, then why don't you go ahead and kill me? You're the one who is scared!"  
  
"NANI! How dare you! It will be my pleasure to destroy you!"  
  
"Matte yo, Trunks! Iie!"  
  
He didn't hear Videl as he let go of all of his anger towards Snare. His mind clouded with hate, he charged at the Namek. The time had come.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"I've got it!" Bulma exclaimed as he woke up with a start. Yes, she had fallen asleep at her computer…. again…but it was worth it. She had finally figured out a way to bring everyone back in a hurry. If Snare could become the guardian of earth, then he could create a new set of Dragon balls, just like the ones on Namek. It was perfect. Besides, the spaceship project was beginning to fizzle anyway as more and more workers became suspicious of Bulma's true ambition. And with Snare around, it was getting harder and harder to hide the truth from people. If the lab wasn't voice activated, there was no telling how many people would have seen the Namek.  
  
Yup, if they put their cards in the right place, they might not even need to make a trip to New Namek. Or, if that didn't work, then maybe Mr. Popo would have an idea. In all of her planning, Bulma had neglected Mr. Popo. Maybe he would know where they could come up with a new guardian…Bulma's mind raced with so many possibilities that she surprised even herself. She made a couple of quick notes on a pad of paper nearby. First thing in the morning, she and Trunks would have to make a visit to Kame's Tower.  
  
Bulma leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. She was a genius, but something wasn't quite right. She didn't hear Trunks's snoring echoing through the downstairs wing of the house. She went to Trunks's room, and sure enough, his bed hadn't been slept in.  
  
'Where could he be?' Bulma silently asked herself as she walked in and plopped down on Trunks's bed. She looked at the display over Trunks's door where his sword was usually kept his sword. It was missing.  
  
"NANI! No Trunks!" Bulma yelled futilely as she sprung from the bed and raced outside. She took a pack of Hoipoi Capsules from her pocket and threw one to the ground. In a puff of smoke, a hover car appeared, and Bulma jumped in, speeding towards Snare's usual training spot.  
  
"Trunks, baka…don't do anything stupid…"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Goku, can I talk to you?"  
  
Goku walked away from where he had been talking to Kullilin and Yamcha. This get together had been a good idea, since Goku hadn't seen many of his friends since they died.  
  
"What is it, King Kai?"  
  
"Goku, I don't want to alarm anyone else, but I think Snare is the least of the problems on Earth right now."  
  
"What do you mean, King Kai?"  
  
"Just put your hand on my shoulder and feel Earth's energy."  
  
Goku complied, and closed his eyes to concentrate. The first thing he expected to feel was Trunks's energy, since he was the strongest person on Earth at the moment. This was not the case. Goku's eyes opened wide as he felt a massive energy.  
  
"You feel it?" King Kai asked. "I was just peeking in to check on Trunks and Snare, and the power just appeared out or nowhere."  
  
"Does Trunks know?"  
  
King Kai shook his head.  
  
"Trunks is too concerned with other things right now. I've been trying to get through to him for a little while now."  
  
Goku slowly removed his hand form King Kai's shoulder. The power he felt was the strongest he had ever felt, even stronger than the androids. Stronger than Trunks. And with Trunks feeling so threatened by Snare, it might be days before Trunks detected the power.  
  
"The only thing you can do is keep trying to reach him." Goku said. "I'm going to go and talk to King Yama and see if there's anything that he can do."  
  
King Kai cracked a smile. He knew exactly was Goku was going to do. It had only happened a few times in h8istory, but if he was lucky, Goku could get the gods to grant him a short amount of time back on Earth. It was extremely unlikely, but worth a shot.  
  
"Good luck, Goku." King Kai said as he watched Goku place two fingers against his forehead and disappear into thin air.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Damn it! Move!" Bulma yelled as she tried to dodge and drive against the flow of traffic in her hover car. She had to travel through Trunks City (named after you know who) before she reached the point where she could go off road to the clearing in the woods.  
  
It was about 2:45, but there were people streaming out of the city. By all accounts, Bulma should have tuned around and gone another way. But her anger was getting the best of her.  
  
'I can't believe that Trunks and Snare would fight in the city!' Bulma thought to herself and she swerved to avoid an oncoming car. That was the only explanation that she could come up with for a panic at almost three in the morning.  
  
Bulma swerved again, but this time, she couldn't get control of the car in time, and she crashed head-on into a light post.  
  
"Damn it!" She yelled, and punched the deployed air bag. The car was totaled, and smoke streamed from under the hood. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a pack of capsules from the glove compartment and continued to rush on foot against the flow of traffic.  
  
'Baka, Trunks! How could you, after you told me that you wouldn't hurt Snare!' Bulma's mind was clouded with thoughts as she pushed past the screaming masses. Even though Trunks had never really known his father, he was just like Vegeta. He had the same 'leave me alone or I'll kill you' philosophy, and sometimes Bulma could have sworn that they were virtually twins, aside from Trunks's hair. But this time Trunks had gone too far- endangering the lives of others over some stupid grudge.  
  
She finally cleared the crowd of people and stopped running as she stood alone in the center of town. Alone. The only other thing in the square was the huge statue of Trunks that had recently been erected. It showed Trunks holding his sword up towards heaven, his hair sticking up in super saiyan glory. The inscription at the base of the statue read: "Our Savior".  
  
But all of that aside, if she was alone, then why was everyone running. Bulma began to pace as she pondered this, and she tripped over something. Angrily, she looked down to see what she had tripped over, and her eyes opened wide. She clawed at the dirt road frantically as she tried to get away, and stared at horror at the familiar figure before her.  
  
Android.  
  
The body of the notorious Juuhachi-gou was in front of her. The biological exterior was gone for the most part, but those eyes…her emotionless eyes stared off into nowhere, unmoving, unthinking.  
  
"H…how…"  
  
Bulma stood up and slowly approached the machine. It was inactive, and looked like it had been for some time, but the entire skeleton was still intact. It was true. Physically, they had been indestructible.   
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Trunks immediately went super saiyan and rushed at Snare, ready to kill him with one fatal swipe of his blade. Unfortunately for him, Snare was faster than he looked. He was able to dodge every one of Trunks's attacks, moving to the left or right of the blade. He left the super saiyan more than a little frustrated.  
  
"KONO YOGORE! How are you doing this?!" Trunks yelled, almost out of breath from his assault.  
  
"You have forgotten a few things, baka. Or since it's you, I'm guessing you don't know much anyway. You see, when a Namek reproduces out of desperation or revenge, the desire to fulfill the father's wishes makes the Namek stronger. So in a way, we are much like you saiyans…"  
  
Trunks gasped as he felt Snare's power rise rapidly. It quickly surpassed his and kept going…  
  
"Doush'te?! How!"  
  
Snare smiled for the first time in his life.  
  
"Die, Chikusho."  
  
"No Snare! Don't!"  
  
Videl flew between the two of them, her arms straight out in a protective stance.  
  
"Zakkenayo! Get the hell out of my way!"  
  
"I know you won't kill me, Snare." Videl said, not moving an inch. "Bulma-san told me that the Nameks are good, and I know that you are too, Snare! You don't want to kill anyone!"  
  
The two hovered, staring into each other's eyes. Both were full of determination and stubbornness. Neither of them was going to budge before the other.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Bulma threw one of her capsules to the ground, and watched a van appeared out of the smoke. In spite of the obvious danger that could come with taking the android with her, she could use it as an example and maybe make some androids of her own to help out at Capsule Corp. The ones she had now she called androids, but in reality they were mere robots that could only do what they were programmed to do. Dr. Gero's androids had been capable of their own thoughts, wishes and desires.  
  
She took out two more Capsules and threw them down. Her two robots, Itchy and Knee appeared out of the smoke.  
  
"Itchy, Knee, load that android onto the van."  
  
"Hai, Bulma-san." They replied in their mechanical voices as they went to work.  
  
"I wouldn't touch that android if I were you…"  
  
Bulma snapped her head around to look for the source of the comment. There was still no one around for as far as her eyes could see.  
  
"Up here, girlie."  
  
Bulma craned her neck upwards and the color drained from her face. There was a massive creature floating above her, red, white and black in color, two wasp like wings against its back."  
  
"What do you want? Who…who are you?!"  
  
"Just call me…Cell Superior."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"Videl! Move out of the way!"  
  
"You'll just have to kill me to get to him, Snare. The same with you, Trunks."  
  
Trunks flew closer to Videl and gazed at her.  
  
"Sorry, Videl." He said, and punched her in the jaw. She went spiraling to the ground and his pretty hard, knocking up dust all around her.  
  
"Trunks! What the hell?" Snare yelled.  
  
"C'mon, you green menace! You've stalled enough!"  
  
"Don't you see what you did?! She had nothing to do with this!"  
  
"She has everything to do with this, and you know it!"  
  
Snare didn't reply, but took his eyes off of Trunks and flew down to help Videl her feet.  
  
'That damned spineless Namek!' Trunks thought to himself as he watched Snare pick Videl up from where she had fallen and hold her in his arms. 'She could've taken that hit. Snare was just stalling to-"  
  
'TRUNKS!'  
  
Trunks's thought train stopped right there. In his mind he had heard it loud and clear- his mother calling out to him in terror. He quickly felt for her energy signal and he stood paralyzed with fear as he felt the power close to her. It seemed so familiar…like Cell, but much stronger…much more powerful…  
  
"Kaasan!"  
  
In that moment, Trunks forgot about everything else…about Snare, about New Namek, about Videl…all he knew was that he was not going to lose his mother, the woman that meant more than the world to him. He flew as fast as he could to his mother's energy signal.  
  
'Kaasan…I'm coming…'  
  
  
  



	4. Warriors of the Future Past

1 MIRAI NO TERROR  
  
By Genesis Nightshade  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Warriors of the Future Past  
  
  
  
"What…what do you want?" Bulma asked as she struggled to put some distance between herself and the beast in front of her.  
  
"Oh, just the android…and then maybe your life force for a little desert. You're kind of spunky for a human."  
  
"No!" Bulma screamed.  
  
'I'm sorry…I'm so sorry Trunks…I couldn't do anything…'  
  
Cell Superior approached the android slowly, kicking aside Bulma's robots easily. He picked up Juuhachi-gou and smiled sinisterly.  
  
"Yes. Juuhachi-gou. I'd know you anywhere."  
  
He lifted the android over his head and then opened his mouth wider than Bulma had ever thought possible. He lowered the limp Juuhachi-gou effortlessly into his open mouth.  
  
Bulma didn't watch anymore, but began to slink quietly away. She wasn't going to give the creature the time it needed to finish what it was doing and then go after her. She had learned her lesson about watching villains when she witnessed Vegeta's death. She had been curious about the battle, and now regretted it, since the image of Juunana-gou plunging an already bloody hand through Vegeta's chest was chiseled into her memory. Bulma had almost been killed herself. Lesson: any chance you can get, RUN AWAY.  
  
She stood up on her feet and was about to run when the creature appeared in her path.  
  
"Going somewhere?"  
  
Bulma froze in her tracks, her face glazed over with terror. Cell Superior was less than three feet away, towering over her at about eight feet tall. She tried to scream, but her body was no longer under her control.  
  
'Please…no…'  
  
Cell reached out his hand and grabbed Bulma's arm. She tried, in vain, to pull away. A microsecond later, she screamed out in agony. It felt as if her soul was being snatched away from her body, and it didn't like it very much. After about five seconds, her scream became silent, and she couldn't even stand. The pupils of her eyes disappeared and her skin turned a pale gray. Cell released her arm, and she fell limply to the ground, barely breathing.  
  
"Hm. Good energy. I'll have to come back for more later."  
  
Suddenly he felt a gust of wind as a purple-haired youngster whizzed past him. He quickly embraced Bulma, picking his Kaasan up in his arms.  
  
"What the hell?! What the hell did you do?!" Trunks exclaimed. "What the hell did you do to her?!" Trunks looked up at Cell Superior, and his eyes grew wide. "Cell! I…I Killed you!"  
  
Cell Superior smiled.  
  
"Cell was a weakling."  
  
"Then you're his…his reincarnation…"  
  
"The creature laughed an echoing cackle.  
  
"His reincarnation! No, I am his superior! Cell, the weakling that he was, was only meant to clear the way for me. Then after I absorbed him I would become the ruler of this world and every other world after that! Let me guess…you are the one that killed him, am I correct?"  
  
Trunks ignored the android's question and looked sadly at his mother's gray body, which writhed every few seconds in his arms.  
  
"Chikusho! What did you do to her?!"  
  
"She's had the life temporarily sucked out of her. She'll recover in a day or so, and I'll be back again. She was more refreshing than most.  
  
Trunks couldn't contain himself any longer and his energy began to flare up.  
  
"Monster!"  
  
"Monster? No. I am the savior of earth. I shall rule you all with the principles that Dr. Gero wanted and all that oppose me will be no more. Cell was the fighter. I am the ruler. The one and only King of Earth. And you, Trunks Vegeta Briefs, will be the example of my awesome power when I drain all of your life and take away the supposed hero of the planet."  
  
Trunks slowly set his mother on the ground and began to walk closer to Cell Superior. His aura of energy seemed to rise a foot with every step.  
  
"Iie. You will do no such thing, because I intend to stop you, baka. I've seen your type before…taking advantage of the weak just to get what YOU want. Well that's not going to happen because you didn't anticipate that you'd have to face ME."  
  
Cell laughed again, almost uncontrollably this time.  
  
"What a speech! Well if you say that you can make a baka out of me, then go ahead."  
  
"My pleasure."  
  
Trunks became a super saiyan in a flash and he unsheathed his sword just as quickly. He was glad that his mother had surprised him with the present after he returned from the future. He would have felt naked without it. The new metal reflected his super saiyan glow and he charged at Cell. Trunks swiped at him with his sword, but the swift android moved to the right or left of the blade, preventing all hopes of ending the battle quickly.  
  
Cell laughed again, and then grabbed Trunks's sword with his right hand. He snatched it out of Trunks's grip and Trunks looked on in terror as Cell Superior snapped the blade in half.  
  
"A meager weapon. You really should fight me like a man, Trunks."  
  
Trunks froze.  
  
'Kuso…he's stronger than I am…'  
  
"Don't worry Trunks, your father won't see how you were killed like the weakling you are. And speaking of your father, how would you like to meet him now? I could gladly send you there. Hm…and according to Juuhachi-gou's memories, he cried like a baby right before he got a hand through his chest…how amusing. Are you going to cry, Trunks? Like your father did?"  
  
"You don't know anything about my father!"  
  
"Oh, quite the contrary. I am connected to the androids, and I have a very clear image of your father's death. 'No! Don't kill me! I'll do anything you want!' That's what your father said just before he died."  
  
"Don't fucking say that!"  
  
"You're upset because you know it's true, Trunks. I know that because you're showing your magnificent energy, which I will soon take from you."  
  
"Iie! No!" Trunks exclaimed, and the air around him turned bright gold from his aura. The ground below and around Trunks began to crack and shift like an earthquake was occurring. Meters away, Bulma's limp and almost lifeless body began to roll down a slanted piece of rock and into a crevice. Thankfully, a green blur whizzed past and grabbed the body.  
  
"What the hell is he doing?" Snare asked Videl a he draped Bulma over his shoulder and hovered over the scene below. "Didn't he see his mother? I thought you humans bonded with your parents…"  
  
"So did I." Videl said, not able to take her eyes off of Trunks and his massive energy. Instead of their usual sky blue, his eyes were a cold aqua. The look of a murderer was carved onto his face, and a blaze of golden fire surrounded his finely chiseled body. Videl didn't quite know what to think of Trunks now. A week ago, she would have given her life for him, done anything to please him, but now she wasn't quite sure. Trunks had let his rage get out of control; hurting the ones he was supposed to care about in order to get to a good fight. Videl rubbed her right jaw (it still hurt) and scowled.  
  
"C'mon, Snare. Let's get out of here." She said, looking over to her green companion.  
  
Not able to tear his eyes away from the Trunks, Snare didn't reply right away. Immediately, something came to his memory. He saw through Piccolo's eyes that Trunks was just like his father. He had made such a big deal out of saving his mother and then almost completely forgotten about her. And now he was letting his pride get in the way of his thinking. Yes, Snare had heard when Cell insulted Vegeta, and he knew that Trunks was going to stop at nothing until that creature was dead. It was the same thing that had happened to Vegeta on Namek, and Trunks would share a similar fate. After a few moments, Snare blinked twice and looked at Videl.  
  
"Trunks is going to die."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Everyone turned around as Goku materialized on King Kai's planet. They all looked more than a little upset.  
  
"Kakarott? What the hell is going on?! And you had better tell us the truth!"  
  
"Calm down, Vegeta." Goku said. "We have something serious to discuss."  
  
Yamcha glanced at Tien.  
  
"Goku being serious? Something must be up…"  
  
Goku proceeded to tell them the entire story of what was happening on Earth, or at least what he had felt when he touched King Kai's shoulder. He added in some observations that he had gotten from King Yama and ended by presenting them some startling news.  
  
"You see, I went and talked to King Yama and after careful consideration and some help from Baba, he is going to let four of us go back to Earth and help! We get new bodies and everything!"  
  
His statement was met with resounding cheers, except for Piccolo.  
  
"What's the catch, Goku?"  
  
"It's only for three days, so that means we have to find a way to beat Cell in that time. Also, we can't die or we'll be sent to you know where."  
  
"Ok, but here's the big question." Kullilin said. "Who gets to go back?"  
  
Everyone exchanged glances.  
  
"Problem!" Yamcha said. "Who here WOULDN'T want to go back, even if it was for only three days?"  
  
"We'll draw straws!" King Kai said, and pulled a handful of straws from behind his back.  
  
"I'll do no such thing!" Vegeta yelled. "It's obvious that I should be the first choice to go back!"  
  
'He's worried about Bulma and Trunks…' Goku thought to himself, but he didn't dare speak it aloud.  
  
"C'mon, let's be serious." Tien said, coming to a realization. "The main issue here is who will be the biggest help against Cell. Yeah, sure, I'd love to go back and see a few people-"  
  
"*Cough* Lunch!"  
  
"Shut up Yamcha…But it's obvious that I'm not going to be of much help. I'm going to give up my spot."  
  
They were all silent as they took in what Tien had said. He had always been one of the more noble fighters in the group, and it was expected that he would be the one to rationalize the situation. Vegeta finally spoke up.  
  
"Listen bakas. This whole thing is kuso. It's obvious that I should go, since I'm the strongest one here. Then Kakarott, since he's the next strongest. Piccolo should go since we might need the dragon balls. Then lastly, Kakarott's kid." Vegeta crossed his arms over his chest, waiting to see who would dare to oppose him.  
  
"What about me, Vegeta?!" a voice rang out. "I've had more fighting experience than Gohan and Piccolo!"  
  
They all turned their necks downward and looked at Kullilin, who stood with a look of absolute seriousness on his face.  
  
"Yes, but you're also a weakling." Vegeta said in retort. A smirk accompanied his comment, slinking onto his face like a serpent.  
  
Kullilin responded by lunging at Vegeta, and he knocked the unsuspecting Prince onto his back. Vegeta responded by kicking Kullilin off of his body and then turning into a super saiyan. He hadn't actually expected Kullilin to attempt to follow through with the threats he had been delivering for five years now. Death can do strange things to a person…  
  
"Bring it on, baldy." Vegeta said, taking a left-side fighting stance.  
  
Gohan finally grabbed the back of Kullilin's gi and lifted him up into the air. He dangled his feet in the air and struggled to get free, to no avail. Kullilin reached behind his back to try and free himself from Gohan's grip, but soon realized that his arms were way too short.  
  
"Kullilin, we don't have time for this." Gohan said, getting somewhat impatient. Kullilin finally stopped struggling and Gohan let him down to his feet.  
  
"I'm sorry, guys. I don't know what I was thinking. Vegeta's right. If I didn't make any difference with the androids, then how I can I think I can make a difference now? No matter how much training we've been doing, I can't compete against three super saiyans AND Piccolo." He slumped his shoulders and sighed.  
  
"Don't worry about it Kullilin." Goku said as he patted his friend on the back. "Every battle I've been in, you've been right by my side to help me out. It's going to be strange to be fighting and to look to my left and not see you there."  
  
"Thanks, Goku. Give 'em an Kame Hame Ha for me, ok?" Kullilin gave a half- hearted smile and Goku returned it with his signature grin.  
  
"Ok guys, we need to get going." Piccolo said, breaking up the touching moment between friends.  
  
"Bye guys. See you Kaiou-sama. Wish us luck." Goku said as the other three fighters placed their hands on his shoulders and back. Goku placed two fingers to his forehead and they disappeared.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
"What do you mean 'Trunks is going to die'?!" Videl exclaimed, turning to Snare. Sure, she had been hoping that Trunks would get 'roughed up' a bit to teach him a lesson, but she never wanted him to die.  
  
"Yes. Trunks will die. You don't know how to sense power levels yet, but whatever this thing is, it's much stronger than Trunks."  
  
Videl gazed horrifyingly at Snare and then at the golden fire beneath them.  
  
"I'm going to go and help him." Videl said.  
  
"No, I am."  
  
Videl's neck snapped around and she faced Snare shockingly.  
  
"After…after all he did to you, you're still going to help him?"  
  
"Videl, when you guys first found me, I didn't know what was going on. Now that I can tap into Piccolo's memories, I know. Piccolo-san spent half of his life trying to get rid of the bad reputation placed on him by Piccolo- Damaio, and I'm not about to reverse his life's work by leaving right now, no matter how much of a bastard Trunks is."  
  
"But…"  
  
Snare smirked a little and put a finger against Videl's lips to silence her.  
  
"I'll be careful. Now take Bulma-san somewhere and get her medical attention."  
  
He handed Bulma to Videl, who was able to stand the extra weight, even if it made her struggle a bit.  
  
"Come back in one piece." She said, and blasted off in the direction of the next city. Snare watched as she flew off, but was knocked back to reality when a burst of Trunks's energy whipped him in the face. Snare immediately snapped back into battle mode and he began to harness his ki.  
  
Immediately, Trunks felt the increase in power above him, and was momentarily distracted. He looked up at Snare and a scowl reminiscent of Vegeta grazed his face.  
  
"I don't need your help, Namek!"  
  
Snare lowered himself to the ground and stood beside Trunks.  
  
"Listen, I know you hate me because you think I'm going to snap and kill everybody, and I hate you because you're an arrogant bastard, but if you really want to get rid of this thing, then you need my help. Don't tell me that you can't feel his real power. He's hiding most of it, you know. This is just the tip of the iceberg."  
  
Trunks looked at Snare, and his mind raged with the harshest debate he had ever faced. Should he chance an alliance with Snare, the one who was responsible for hundreds of deaths in just a matter of minutes? Yes, Videl and Bulma-san trusted him, but they hadn't been there to witness the carnage first-hand. Trunks had seen the corpses scattered over the ground and heard their futile cries for help. He had felt their pain. But as Trunks looked over at Snare, he was reminded of Piccolo, and what a brave soul he had been. If Snare had inherited Piccolo's memories, then maybe, somewhere deep inside him, that same brave spirit was resting. He smiled a bit.  
  
"You know, this kind of reminds me of a story that my Kaasan told me about Goku."  
  
"Yeah, it does seem kind of familiar." Snare said, remembering a similar scene from Piccolo's memories. "Only this time, neither of us if going to die."  
  
Trunks nodded, and the two of them began to harness their ki again, even though they were both fully aware that it was going to take a lot more than either of them had to take down such a fearsome creature.  
  
"Don't think that the two of you stand any greater chance of beating me…" Cell said, not the least bit worried by the amount of ki that Trunks and Snare were working up. An overconfident grin crossed his face.  
  
Trunks and Snare ignored Cell's comment and charged in a burst of energy.  
  
Cell was able to take down Trunks immediately with one swift blow to the head, but Snare was another matter. His heightened power was greater than that of a super saiyan, and he was holding his own, delivering a barrage of punches and kicks to Cell. Few connected, and those that did didn't even budge the android. Trunks watched from the ground as Snare continued his futile assault.  
  
'The androids are contained in there…the ones that killed Gohan and Tousan…the same Cell that killed me...'  
  
After a few seconds of watching the combat, Trunks charged back in.  
  
In the blink of an eye, Trunks deployed a roundhouse kick at the same time Snare attempted to hit cell with a group of left jabs. Cell ducked under Trunks's kick and grabbed Snare's fist, tossing him through a skyscraper, which sent glass and steel flying everywhere.  
  
Trunks looked down in disbelief and Cell caught him with a right hook to the face. He went spiraling to the ground.  
  
Trunks sat up a few seconds after he hit and looked at the terrifying creature above him.  
  
"I've been an idiot." Trunks said softly to himself. "He's like Perfect Cell…I was no match for Perfect Cell…"  
  
"Ok everyone…" Cell announced from where he was hovering above, "I'm tired of this battle. And since I know not to play cat and mouse like Juunana-gou and Juuhachi-gou did with Gohan, I bid the two of you farewell."  
  
Snare and Trunks, sitting in their separate piles of rubble, looked up with horror-transfixed eyes as Cell began to gather his massive energy. Snare's eyes locked on the villain above them, and he stood up uneasily on his feet.  
  
"I won't die like a coward!" he yelled, and with the last bit of his strength, he summoned up a string of ki blasts, one after another and in a fraction of a second. They all hit Cell's globe of energy, but didn't so much as penetrate. Snare dropped to his knees and looked up at Cell, awaiting death.  
  
"Hey Cell!"  
  
The large beast stopped his ki gathering process and turned around to face the source of the voice. He smiled an evil smile and turned to face the direction that the voice had come from. Both Trunks and Snare stopped watching Cell to follow suit. Trunks's mouth opened wide when he saw four familiar figures floating in the distance.  
  
Three figures surrounded by gold auras…super saiyans. Two were taller; wearing orange gis and one was shorter, with a furry appendage wrapped around his waist. And there was a Namek, dressed in a white turban and cape.  
  
"Gohan…Tousan…Goku…Piccolo…" Trunks said so softly that no one but himself heard it. He couldn't contain his emotion any longer and tears ran down his cheeks. He made no effort to conceal them or wipe them away.  
  
"I can't believe it…" Snare said as he looked up with unwavering eyes. "Piccolo…"  
  
Vegeta smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.  
  
"Get ready Cell. This is far from over." 


End file.
